Ichigo Ichie: The Art of Cherishing Every Moment

 

"Rooted in a 16th-century Japanese proverb and a core principle of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, "Ichigo Ichie" (一期一会) roughly translates to "for this time only" or "once in a lifetime." It embodies the idea of being fully present and cherishing each moment as a singular experience that may never occur again."

Each limited-edition watch comes with a special presentation dark timber box, making it a perfect addition to any watch collection.

Freshly arrived from Seiko, an Australasian limited edition of only 1,000 pieces. Seiko Presage Limited Edition SRPL20J 40.5mm case size. Stainless steel case (Rose gold colour) and black leather strap. Hardlex glass. Champagne dial. Automatic movement - calibre 4R35. Water resistance 50 metres.  Our price: $950

You will be blown away - guaranteed.

In front of me is the latest and hottest release of May 2023: SEIKO Presage GMT. Absolutely amazing watch. CHEAP AS CHIPS Let's start with the crown argument for GMT: no reputed watch can offer you such a quality product for only $995. Quite frankly, you should really stop reading now, and place your order. There are Swiss brands out there who would charge you more for a leather strap. And significantly more just for a regular service. $995 for something that would last you at least 20 years? Unbeatable deal. MADE IN JAPAN Yes, this is the J model meaning the watch is entirely made and assembled in Japan. Priceless. 1960s LOOK and FEEL A full credit to Seiko's designer who really nailed the DNA of a classic 1960s watch! The shape of the hands, well proportioned lugs, skinny bezel, matching leather strap. Not to mention the most handsome 'chocolate' colour scheme. Loving it! 40.8mm case size.  A TRUE GMT WATCH On a SEIKO GMT, pulling the crown into the quickset position and turning it forwards, does exactly what you expected it to do: to set the GMT hand to GMT time. You would think that this is how Swiss GMT watches are set, wouldn't you? Unfortunately not: in almost all cases, the quick setting is via the hour hand. What a weird, painful and counter-intuitive way of setting the watch! Not with SEIKO. I'd say this should be another 'reason alone' to invest in a SEIKO GMT.  We have two in stock, ready for immediate delivery. New release - the one we've been waiting for so impatiently! Price: $995

The Circle of Time

Alice: “How long is forever?” White Rabbit: “Sometimes, just one second.” Here is the strange thing: we have no option but to think of time as both linear and circular. Linear, meaning days, months, and years could be presented with an arrow which travels in one direction. And indeed, this is how we perceive our own travel through time, from birth to death, always in one direction, unsymmetrically and irreversibly. Yet if we remove ourselves from the picture, days, months, and years marked by the rotation of planets are just simple circular events. With the sun rising from the east, and setting in the west; with the moon phase cycle never changing, and seasons coming and reappearing in ever circular motion. Symmetrical and reversible - because a change of rotation would make no difference to time whatsoever. Subconsciously, we feel both comfortable and uncomfortable with the duality of those two concepts. What makes things even more complicated: we are constantly confused with the rate of passage of time itself. Time flies when we are excited, and drags forever when we are bored. This is why we wear watches - so we can all, together, as the human race, march along. Without watches, we would all be trapped in the world of Alice in wonderland. I am not sure about you, but I find comfort in thinking of time as a circle. The rotation of a seconds hand is calming, the minute hand matters, but the hour hand doesn't really matter that much - it is always somewhere on the dial, near the same place it was yesterday, same as it will be tomorrow. Above all, I find watches with the circular calendar hand extremely pleasing because once you hit a certain age, you start measuring time in months. "Next month is her birthday" or "next month I'll be travelling on a holiday”. Because that 'next month' is just one rotation of a calendar hand away, with a glance, I can easily tell how far I am to that point in time, which really matters. The great watches keep seconds. The best watches keep months. Seiko SSA449J 'the circular calendar' with power reserve: the time is what you make of it. NOTE: this is a latest release of Japanese made Presage, just released. Price: $995. Newsletter subscribers price TODAY ONLY $895 including free delivery. We have only 2 watches in stock. The 'Daytona' colour scheme will impress you. Model reference: SSA447J Boutique price: $995 Your price: $895

Apollo 11, James Bond, Inception, Ocean's 11, and more...

 

The 'briefcase with something important in it' is a film trope as old as time, but when the stakes are high - who do you trust to carry your cash, nuclear codes, extra terrestrial samples, diamonds, or biological weapons? Why Zero Halliburton of course.  While the name Zero Halliburton might not ring any bells, I can guarantee that you have seen one of their luxury cases in action, more specifically, in action films. In fact, their cases have appeared in over 200 notable films which includes Inception, Quantum of Solace, Men in Black, Independence day, Mission impossible, Ocean's 11, Air force one, The Big Lebowski and too many others to list. Often acting as a Macguffin, these cases and their classic brushed aluminium design have become iconic on the silver screen and beyond. Zero Halliburton even helped to create the cases that were sent on the Apollo 11 mission to retrieve lunar samples, and carry the precious cargo back to Earth. They are the ultimate 'handle anything' travellers cases. With strength, durability, and dependability at the forefront of their products, who better to pair with than a company who stands for the same very thing with their products - Seiko. Using one of Seiko's newer releases (the Presage sharp edge series) as the base, they designed the dial, and the bezel colour scheme around this collaboration. With the dial having the iconic double-ribbed pattern of Zero Halliburton's cases, and the bezel having the deep blue colour accent of their 'Pursuit Aluminium series' handles.

To commemorate the collaboration, the watch is also packaged in a Zero Halliburton polycarbonate case, with the box having the same iconic double-ribbed design of a classic Zero Halliburton case. This is the perfect little travel case for a watch, protected with thick foam padding, and with a pocket on the inside for tools and extra straps as well. On offer today is two limited edition Zero Halliburton Seiko, with only 2000 pieces in each release, both the GMT and the classic time only sharp edge Presage. Please note that we only have one of each.

Model reference: SPB269J. 42.2mm case size. Sapphire crystal. Automatic movement. Date function. Power reserve function. GMT function. 100 metres water resistance. Limited Edition 2,000 pieces worldwide.  Price: $2,395

Model reference: SPB277J. 39.3mm case size. Sapphire crystal. Automatic movement. Date function. 100 metres water resistance. Limited Edition 2,000 pieces worldwide.  Price: $1,750

Hand-made in Arita

The simplest way to describe this watch is understated sophistication, with such an incredible story hidden in the dial.  Arita, a small town on Kyushu, the third largest island in the southwest of Japan, came to prominence in the early 17th century when clay suitable for porcelain manufacture was discovered there. Its porcelain products soon became highly prized in Japan for the high quality of their artistry. Within a generation, Arita porcelain, also known as ‘‘Imari ware’’ after the port from which most was shipped, became known overseas. It was exported, first to Europe and later across the world when Japan opened its doors to international trade in the 19th century. Today, Arita porcelain is still highly prized worldwide. Many porcelain makers still thrive in the town of just 20,000 people, thanks to its long tradition of craftsmanship, to the rich variety of its products and to the uniquely Japanese sensibility that they embody. The heritage of Arita porcelain is respected in the colour of the dials, white with a trace of blue, which was the colour of the earliest Arita porcelain. The dials, which are made in Arita itself, have the rich texture and depth which is the signature of all the finest porcelain. Arita porcelain was therefore a natural choice for the dials of a Presage collection but the Presage team needed to be 100% confident in its durability and strength. A new type of Arita porcelain material, created just three years ago, provided the solution. This new porcelain is more than four times harder than the usual material and has both the strength and flexibility required for a Presage watch dial. Producing the dials involves a challenging combination of skill, patience and artistry. First, the base material is put into a special mold which gives dials depth, especially in the version where the power reserve indictor is recessed into the dial with a deep cut. The dials are dried and then fired for the first time at 1,300 degrees to harden and whiten the material. Hashiguchi and his craftsmen then apply the glaze by hand, after which the dials are fired again, this time cementing the glaze on to the dial, a process which gives the dials their deep, rich finish and the subtle blue tinge. Next, the holes for the hands are cut by laser. Finally, the dials are then fired again to render smooth the surfaces that have been cut. This watch is an incredible display of Japanese artistry and it highlights and supports the highly specialised, niche tradition of Arita Porcelain production. Not only are they produced by hand, but no two dials are the same, with each forming their own specific hues of blue and white and texture during the production process. You can get a better look of the creation of the dial from start to finish in this video below with craftsman Hiroyuki Hashiguchi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VdwcgKAAr8 Model reference: SPB267J. 40.6mm case size. Automatic movement with date and power reserve function. Water resistance 100 metres. Limited Edition to only 2,000 piece worldwide. Individually numbered: 611/2000. Price: $2,995

The most anticipated SEIKO of 2021

It's here! The most complex mechanical Seiko has finally arrived. The Presage 'Sharp Edge', Japanese designed, manufactured and assembled. What a watch!  The 6R movement features GMT function, power reserve and calendar. Case size: 42.5mm, stainless, ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal, sleek bracelet. We have three dial colours for you: black, navy, and green. The green with gold GMT hand would be my personal pick; the black one with red hand is simply a safe conservative choice, while navy with peach GMT hand is super quirky.  Why should you invest in a Presage GMT? It is simple: you are getting a great watch at a very fair price. I've searched long and hard, and I don't think there is a Swiss watch out there that offers GMT time, power reserve indication and date calendar for $2,150. To celebrate the arrival of this first batch of three watches, our 'buy it now' price is $1,850. Plus free delivery and the chance to win a Captain Willard next week. This is the BEST PRICE in Australia, guaranteed, and this price is for newsletter subscribers only. As always, your satisfaction is guaranteed. If you open the box and find Presage anything but absolutely stunning, I will take it back, cover the returning postage AND send you $100 in cash as a 'sorry for wasting your time'. NO OTHER DEALER has ever made such an offer, but I am no other dealer, I am a dealer you can trust blindly. Call Gemma on 02 9232 0500 and let's have your 'GMT' shipped this afternoon! SPB217J - Blue RRP: $2,150 Your price: $1,850 SPB219J - Green RRP: $2,150 Your price: $1,850 SPB221J - Black RRP: $2,150 Your price: $1,850